JONATAN Johansson says he was thankful for Morton’s congested fixture list as he believes three games in the space of seven days helped them recover from their rout against Ross County.

After their 5-0 defeat in Dingwall, Ton bounced back with a 2-1 win at Queen of the South three days later before securing a 5-1 victory over Partick Thistle on Saturday.

Normally a crammed fixture list is viewed as being detrimental by most teams, but Johansson was grateful for the chance to get back on the pitch so soon after their heavy loss in Dingwall.

Johansson told the Tele: “I think it was lucky for us having games so soon after each other.

“After the Ross County game we had that game so quickly. 

“If you let that fester for another week it’s more difficult to come back. We didn’t have time to think and we had to just get the shape and the right players on the pitch and go from there.”

The Ton boss also admitted the heavy defeat in the Highlands to the Staggies was a ‘wake-up call’ and forced him into making five changes and switching the formation against 
Queens.

He added: “It’s amazing how much football can change in a week. 

“Sometimes it’s a wake-up call. Sometimes it makes my mind up if the defeat wasn’t that heavy we would have stuck with the same team.

“But the way we were all over the place, we were properly beaten and I felt we had to change, and thankfully against Queen of the South it worked.”

The Finn was delighted with striker Bob McHugh, who scored twice against the Jags.

The striker was withdrawn by Johansson last month against Dunfermline, but after scoring the winner against Falkirk he has worked his way back into the starting line-up.

McHugh is now on seven strikes for the campaign, only one goal behind his tally for the whole of last season.

The Morton boss said: “I took him off against Dunfermline and dropped him, as I felt he was frustrated on the pitch and he wasn’t doing the natural stuff, and for a striker that’s when you maybe need a little rest.

“He’s come back and scored the winner against Falkirk and he’s been fantastic for us since then.

“It’s a shame he didn’t get his hat-trick on Saturday. He worked really hard, he’s always been a hard worker but has intelligence and he helps the midfield a lot defensively. In the box, if you can get the ball to him, he’s dangerous.”